Variety is basically Utaite Myoli vol. 2, except this time it's a bunch of compositions the public hasn't heard before. It would be one thing if new songs were being composed for Tokyo Jihen, but it sounds to me like we're getting hand-me-downs.

Why not have half a Tokyo Jihen album produced by Kameda and the other half produced by Asai Kenichi? Both halves of Utaite Myoli vol. 1 are small enough to fit together onto ONE disc anyhow. Variety is basically Utaite Myoli vol. 2, except this time it's a bunch of compositions the public hasn't heard before. It would be one thing if new songs were being composed for Tokyo Jihen, but it sounds to me like we're getting hand-me-downs. I'm sure Asai Kenichi has plenty of those available, that we haven't heard before, and even if they (in their raw form) are not necessarily up-to-grade with his works that were good enough to go public already, we can always count on Kameda to be able to chew on coal and shit out diamonds, right? You can have some criss-cross composing/producing going on within the band, where Kameda arranges Asai Kenichi, and Asai Kenichi arranges Izawa and Ukigumo. You have to admit, that would rule.

Actually, most of them appear as new compositions, excluding OSCA and Pinocchio (did anyone confirm that yet?) (judging from the new tracks coupled with the singles). None of us can draw on the fact that it is a cover album without seeing the tracklist, and if they follow patterns with the singles, we can bet they will be new tracks. *crosses fingers*

Your signature:
Q: What do George "Dubya" Bush and Ukigumo have in common?
A: They were both second choice, and they're much more polarizing for the population than the predecessors.

It seems like one of those jokes that no one really laughs, they just kind of nod in approval. I like.

I have a joke.
Q: What has had more Japanese men lodged inside of it than the Tokyo subway at rush hour?
A: Koda Kumi's vagina!

I haven't listened to anythig by BJC and I wouldn't know where to start, any reccomendations?

I'm not that into Asai Kenichi's solo stuff (what I've heard), but I'm head over heels in love with AJICO, which is one of his projects where he shares the vocals with UA. Now if there were to be some kind of SR/AK superband, I guess it would turn out kind of like AJICO (rather than TJ where SR is after all the commander) and it would make our ears deaf with joy.